A printer is generally used for (re)producing text and images. Throughout this application, when reference is made to an image or images, this is to be interpreted as also explicitly referring to text (not only figures).
Different types of printers are known, amongst which laser printers, thermal printers, dot matrix printers and inkjet printers.
Inkjet printers use at least one printhead provided with a plurality of nozzles, from which ink droplets are fired or ejected onto the media; the printer controls the firing of ink from the nozzles such as to create on the media a pattern of dots corresponding to the desired image.
The print medium may be a continuous web, which is fed from a feed roll mounted on a spindle arranged in the printing apparatus upstream of the printhead and on which several different plots are printed one after the other. A motor may be operatively connected to said spindle to drive the spindle with appropriate speed when printing.
To load such a web of print medium in the printer, the feed roll is firstly mounted on the spindle. Subsequently the operator pulls on the web, which rotates the spindle and unwinds the feed roll, thus enabling the further loading of the web through the printer. When pulling on the web and causing the spindle to rotate, the motor that is connected to it starts to behave as a generator. An electromotive force is generated in the motor that opposes the rotation of the spindle. Especially in larger format printers, in which the motor connected to the spindle is more powerful, this causes a problem. A user needs to pull with both hands on the web and still may not be able to rotate the spindle sufficiently.